The Villager: “Origins of St. Valentine’s Day”

With the excitement that goes with the 14th Day of every February, it is imperative that we shed some light on it. February has for long been a month of romance. It is the month associated with Valentine’s Day celebrations. Time and again, the name St. Valentine is normally being pronounced before us in this period of love. But just who is this St. Valentine and why do we celebrate the day the way we do? Why is this month associated with love and romance? Word has it that, the origin of this lover’s day goes back as early as 270 A.D and started with the clash between a priest and a mighty ruler. Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and cafeterias are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There barely seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day. The reason behind all of this ado is a kind-hearted priest named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago. It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine’s Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. The history of Valentine’s Day is not in any archive and the number of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are the source for the history of Valentine’s Day. The modern St. Valentine’s Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that they used to observe annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honour of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. Most probably, it is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine’s Day honours. In light of the above and according to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February. It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honour the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the anger of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time. (To be continued) mfashumwana@fastmail.fm (Disclaimer: the Villager has no calendar, forgive the timing)